Isolation required for patients going to Southampton

Friday 12 June 2020

Islanders who require treatment at Southampton Hospital will need to self-isolate for seven days and get tested for covid-19 three days before they travel to the UK.

For emergency admissions, PCR (diagnostic) tests will be administered, but will not delay the patient’s transfer.

Jersey General Hospital patients travel to Southampton to receive treatment in areas such as Paediatrics, Oncology, Respiratory, Gastroenterology, General surgery, Trauma and Orthopedics.

The Infection Prevention team at University Hospital Southampton said the patient isolation period was necessary to protect both the staff and other patients receiving care from the spread of covid-19.  

Patients will be informed of any upcoming plans for their ongoing treatment and be supported in their requirement to self-isolate.

Pictured: There are on average over 600 referrals to Southampton a year and over 2,000 appointments for islanders.

Patients who require further Jersey hospital visits during their period of self-isolation will be advised of the alternative process, whilst GPs will be required to use PPE for any appointments during the patient’s isolation period.  

On returning to Jersey, patients will need to follow Government of Jersey guidelines including airport testing and further self-isolation – which is currently a 14-day period. People living in the patient’s household won't need to self-isolate unless they develop symptoms.

Patients with follow-up clinics in Southampton will need to adhere to the same process again, although some clinics may be offered by video link to avoid the need to travel.

“On average there are over 600 referrals to Southampton per year and over 2,000 appointments for islanders to receive further treatment,' Robert Sainsbury, Group Managing Director for Health and Community Services, said.

"A seven-day isolation period has been deemed necessary by the Infection Prevention team based in Southampton and this precautionary measure is aimed at patient safety and helping to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading.” 

Islanders are being urged to speak to their GPs about their treatment plans and how to prepare for self-isolation as well as receiving a PCR test.